A lot of us have a hard time letting go of items, even those we don’t particularly care for anymore. Feelings of guilt or wastefulness prevent us from parting with articles, even articles that we’ve long since replaced. Feelings that scream “I might need this someday” or “I’m a bad person to get rid of this article of clothing” override the desire for a clutter-free home.

The first step to reclaiming your space from your inner pack rat recognizing the reluctance to let go of items.

• Ask yourself why you want to or need to hold on to these items.
  • Are you a collector of (insert item here)?
  • Is it sentimental?
  • Is it important?
  • Does it add any value to your life?
  • Does it belong here?
• Talk about it with a friend.
• Weigh the pros and cons of maintaining the status quo versus eliminating clutter, obtaining great storage solutions and getting organized.

Consider this:

• The average 3-bedroom home has over 350,000 items in it1. As of April 2007, the average WalMart Supercenter was 187,000 sq. ft. and contained approximately 142,000 different items.2
• The longest period of time the IRS recommends keeping tax returns is 7 years after the filing date3. In certain cases they recommend keeping the paperwork indefinitely. Play it safe and ask your tax preparer for a shred and discard date. (Remember to ask your tax preparer to write the date you can shred and discard on all subsequent tax returns, too.)
• Twenty-three percent (23%) of adults say they pay bills late (and incur late fees) because they lose them.4
• Eighty percent (80%) of what we keep we never use.5
• Eighty percent (80%) of what we file never gets looked at again.6
• Your four-drawer filing cabinet holds 18,000 pages when full.7 If we only look at 20% of those pages or 3,600 pages again, then 14,400 pages will just sit there.
• Ridding excess clutter would eliminate 40% of the house work in an average home. 8
• Clutter-ridden homes are more difficult to maintain and can pose health and safety risks, e.g. fire hazards, pests, odors, allergies.

Getting started

Like every other journey, the quest for an organized home begins with the first step. The process will be slow, but that’s okay. Think about the benefits you’ll gain from having a clutter-free home. 

1Forbes Magazine
2Walmartfacts.com, Updated 04/04/07
3http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/article/0,,id=98513,00.html
4Harris Interactive
5 Agency Sales Magazine, 04/01/03
6The Leader-Post (Regina, Saskatchewan), 03/13/03
7Office Systems magazine, March 1995
8National Soap and Detergent Association

If you find yourself overwhelmed by clutter, you’re not alone.A survey conducted by Psychology Today Magazine found more than 90% of respondents say they feel an overwhelming sense of “time-poverty.” 1 Nearly three-fourths of Americans spring clean because they are tired of clutter.2

These get started tips are the first steps on the road from cluttered chaos to organized bliss.

Use these tips to get started.

• Work with 5 piles/bins/baskets in mind
  • Keep
  • Donate/Sell
  • Discard
  • Repair
  • Goes elsewhere in the house.
• Scan and Can
  • Scan documents and throw the unimportant hardcopies in the trash can. Obviously, you’ll want to keep the originals of deeds, mortgages, insurance and the like, but the scanned versions will be there should disaster strikes. Also, can all the extraneous envelopes and bill stuffers that come with bills. Consider switching to ebills and epay. Ask your bank.
• Start Small
  • Instead of saying “Today, I’m going to organize the garage!” say, “Today, I’m going to organize these two garage shelves” or “I’m going to sort the vanity drawer.” Attacking the problem in smaller chunks allows you to feel a sense of accomplishment and will motivate you – or others in your household – to continue the task.
• Toss 50
  • Set a goal to throw away 50 unused, unwanted or broken items in a week. Start in one area and do your best to rid yourself of unused stuff that’s taking up space in your home.
• Use a Go Back basket
  • Use a Go Back basket on each level of your home. If you see an item that belongs in a different area of the house, place it in the Go Back basket and set a time each day to return the items to their appropriate places in the house. It saves time, too.
• If it’s been in the Repair basket for longer than 6 months, chances are it will never be repaired. Toss it.
• Just Eliminate Items in One Area.
  • This is like the “Toss 50” but you’re going to confine your attack on clutter to one area for a specified amount of time, say 20 minutes to 1 hour.

1Psychology Today, Nov/Dec 93, Vol 26, Issue 6
2Chicago Tribune, 04/13/04